Missoula County Public Information

Public Information

Courthouse Renovation

The renovation project for the Missoula County Courthouse and Annex will be completed in early 2016. The project began in 2012 and will be accomplished in three major phases with multiple sub-phases in order to maintain public access to services.

Phase One:

First floors of the Courthouse and Annex, fourth floor of the Annex, basement of the Annex

First floors of the Courthouse will house both Justice Court
courtrooms and Justice Court clerks, the first floor of the Annex
will house: the Motor Vehicle/Treasurer Department, the Clerk &
Recorder/Election Administrators’ Offices, and the County
Commissioners’ public meeting room. The public meeting room will
also double as an emergency operations center in the event of a
large-scale incident.

The first phase will also include renovation of the Annex basement
which will house the 911 Dispatch and Training Center.

A portion of the fourth floor of the Annex will be remodeled as
well to accommodate eventual growth in the County Attorney’s Office.
For the duration of the renovation, the space will house displaced
departments.

Phase Two:

Second and third floors of the Courthouse

The second floor of the Courthouse will provide much needed
jury/mediation/conference rooms and a hearing room for both Standing
Masters associated with District Court.

The hearing room will also be available for large scale meetings,
training events, and presentations.

The renovated third floor of the Courthouse will house District
Court department staff and will also have a new accessible,
technologically upgraded District Courtroom.

Second floor Annex

The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office will be located on the 2nd
floor of the Annex once construction is completed.

Phase Three:

The final phase of the renovation focuses on the third floor of
the Annex which will house the other two District Court departments.

In addition to office space, the third floor will provide two
brand new courtrooms and a new security suite with holding cells and
secure conference rooms.

Phase three will also include technological and functional
upgrades to the historic District Court courtroom on the third floor
of the Courthouse and some seismic reinforcement of the historic
clock tower of the 1910 Courthouse.

In June of 2010, Missoula County Commissioners resolved to incorporate
“environmentally responsible guidelines into all buildings the County
plans, designs, builds, renovates, remodels and operates.” As such, the
Courthouse/Annex renovation team is working to achieve Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification for the project.
The County'sResolution
Establishing the Missoula County Green Building Policy is
on the County Commissioners' website.

The LEED® rating system is governed by the U.S. Green Building Council
and is a nationally recognized system for rating the performance of
buildings and guiding project design. The LEED® rating system includes
six categories: Sustainable Site Design, Water Efficiency, Energy and
Atmosphere, Indoor Air Quality, Materials and Resources, and Innovation
and Design. In order to achieve LEED® certification, the County
Courthouse Renovation Project must satisfy 40 credits, which can be
acquired among these six categories.

Sustainable Sites: This credit category encourages
implementation of design strategies that promote a
responsible relationship between the built environment and the natural
environment.

Example:
Alternative Transportation - Public Transportation Access (SSc4.1):
Due to the convenient access the courthouse and annex have to the
Mountain Line Transfer Station, the project is eligible for points in
this credit category.

Water Efficiency: This credit category promotes reduction in
building water use by increasing efficiency.

Example: Water Use Reduction -
20% Reduction (WEp1): The County’s implementation of water saving
technologies, such as low-flow fixtures, has resulted in a total
reduction in water usage for the site of 24%.

Energy and Atmosphere: This credit category addresses means of
reducing the amount of energy required for building operations.

Example: Optimize Energy
Performance (EAc1): Thus far, the courthouse renovation project
has achieved an approximate 20% increased level of energy performance,
potentially making the project eligible for up to seven (7) credit
points in this category.

Example: Construction Waste
Management (MRc2): Efforts are made to divert construction and
demolition debris from disposal in landfills. Materials are
recycled and reused when possible. As of May 2013, a total of
65.8% of all construction and demolition waste has been recycled or
otherwise diverted from the landfill.

Indoor Environmental Quality: A goal of this credit
category is to ensure that building occupants are exposed to the best
indoor air quality possible in order to promote a healthy work
environment.

Example: Low Emitting Materials - Paints and Coatings (IEQc4.2): All
paints and coatings used on finishes throughout the project meet strict
criteria for volatile organic compound (VOC) content. Documentation of
the types of paints and coatings used in the courthouse and annex
enables the project to apply for one (1) credit point.

LEED and the related logo is a trademark owned by
the U.S. Green Building Council and is used with permission.